Related Database Links: History & Biography


  • African American Heritage

    ProQuest® African American Heritage is a groundbreaking digital resource exclusively devoted to African American family history research. This collection was created in partnership with leading African American genealogists and recognized leaders in genealogical information to develop a comprehensive mix of resources, records, and tools specifically pertaining to African Americans.

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  • African Americans in the Sciences

    Selected internet resources from the Library of Congress about African Americans in science and technology. Links to historical as well as current inventors, engineers, doctors and others. Also links to many professional organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers.

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  • Biography Reference Bank

    (H. W. Wilson) -- More than 72,000 biographies and obituaries and more than 20,000 photographs of the subjects. Many of the biographies are enhanced with full text, abstracts, and citations. The biographies are searchable by name, profession, title, place of origin, gender, race/ethnicity, titles of works, date of birth, date of death, keyword, and presence of images.

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  • Business Leader Profiles for Students

    Profiles of significant contributors to business and industry, past and present, written especially for high school students.

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  • Cleveland Memory Project

    A searchable and constantly growing online archives of books, photographic images, and exhibits showcasing the Special Collections of the Cleveland State University Library as well as materials housed in other institutions, including a collection of photographs from the Shaker Library's Local History Collection (go to our collection's homepage: http://clevelandmemory.org/shakerheights and enter search terms or click on 'browse all photos').

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  • Cleveland News Index 

    (Cleveland Public Library) -- The online Cleveland News Index lists citation information for local news stories, feature articles and reviews from The Plain Dealer (1983-June 1999), Cleveland Magazine (1983-present), Northern Ohio Live (Sept. 1990-June 2009), and Ohio Magazine (Oct.1990-present). Obituaries from the Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press are included from 1976 to the present. Please note that this index does not provide full text access to these sources.

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  • CultureGrams

    Your source for concise, reliable, and up-to-date cultural information on countries of the world. Beyond the facts and figures, find an insider's perspective on the history, daily life, and customs. Also covers US states and Canadian provinces.

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  • Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

    The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History is the online and updated version of the reference book compiled by David D. Van Tassel and John J. Grabowski. You may browse topics or search for a particular person or subject. 

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  • Enslaved.org

    Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade. Enslaved.org’s primary focus is people—individuals who were enslaved, owned slaves, or participated in slave trading. A robust, open-source architecture to discover and explore the lives of the enslaved in richer detail.

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  • Fold3

    Fold3 features premier collections of original military records. These records include the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served in the military. Many of the records come from the U.S. National archives, The National Archives of the U.K. and other international records.

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  • HeritageQuest

    HeritageQuest Online provides genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries, with coverage dating back as early as the 1700s.

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  • Local History

    The library's Local History Collection, located in the Moreland Room on the first floor of the Main Library, is committed to preserving and making accessible archival material about the history of Shaker Heights and the development of the community.

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  • Ohio Historical Society Digital Resources

    This collection of searchable databases (many of which were created under the Ohio Vital Information for Libraries Center, a grant-funded project of OHS supported by the State Library of Ohio and OPLIN) includes: Online Documents, Online Research Tools, Online Services, and On-Location Services.

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  • Ohio History Central

    Ohio History Central is an evolving, dynamic online encyclopedia that includes information about Ohio's natural history, prehistory, and history. Ohio History Central is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about Ohio.

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  • Research Your Shaker Home

    Shaker Library’s Local History Collection offers a guide to numerous tools and tips to help you research the history of your Shaker Heights home. Some resources are available within the Local History Collection, others are accessible online, and still other relevant materials can be found in local partner institutions.

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  • Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Ohio 

    A treasure trove of information, detailed maps at building level for more than 400 Ohio communities from 1868 to the 1960s. Negotiating the site may require some practice. Try the 1024 x 768 pixel size. Use a city and street name or city and building`s name where possible to search in keyword or limit your search by date.

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  • Very Short Introductions

    Oxford's Very Short Introductions offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, and Literary Theory to History. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given topic.

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  • Western Reserve Historical Society

    The Western Reserve Historical Society website provides information about exhibits and programming at its University Circle location as well as at Hale Farm and Village and other auxiliary sites. The website also offers online searching of its library and museum holdings.

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